It’s been a long cold winter in Toledo, most notable for freezing temperatures unfelt in these parts for more than five years.
So opening day for the beloved Mud Hens baseball team is likely to be an even bigger celebration that spring has arrived in Toledo than it is every year. The first pitch against the Columbus Clippers is set for 4:05 Friday at the gem that is Fifth Third Field.
But downtown Toledo will be alive all day with fans celebrating the return of baseball with a block party across the street at Hensville Park. Music, food, and drink will surely draw the traditional standing room only sellout crowd to Toledo’s biggest annual celebration.
The first game of the season is always a great experience not only for the customary exuberance but also for the anticipation of promotional events tied to Mud Hens games over the rest of the season.
Post-game fireworks and concerts add immense pleasure to the baseball experience. The games are a great outing because there is not a bad seat in the stadium, and there are so many options inside and out for food and drink.
Toledo is truly lucky to have such a fine stadium and a sports management group able to broaden the entertainment beyond baseball.
The buzz is best downtown when the Toledo Walleye hockey team has a playoff game sellout crowd in Huntington Center while the Mud Hens are in action at Fifth Third Field. Together, the two teams, each in a topflight facility, provide a vision of a vibrant city embraced by all of northwest Ohio.
Downtown Toledo will experience something similar Saturday when the Mud Hens are in action at the same time the NCAA regional finals in men’s hockey is held at the Huntington Center. Ohio State and Michigan State are in the four team field and good possibilities to make final on Saturday. Regardless, hosting the NCAA hockey regional final guarantees Toledo will have a weekend to remember.
The Mud Hens have long been notorious nationally for their unusual name. The trend to colorful names that has swept modern day minor league baseball is an unacknowledged homage to Toledo.
Tomorrow two timeless words of summer will be uttered when the umpire hollers “Play ball!” Toledo will be transformed as always.
First Published March 27, 2025, 4:00 a.m.
